It is important to keep carpets clean. Carpets help purify the environment by accumulating particulates and gasses from the soles of the people who walk over them as well as from the surrounding atmosphere. Soiled carpets however are not aesthetically appealing and wear poorly. Left uncleaned they will eventually release particulates and gasses back into the air. In closed circulation buildings, heavily soiled carpets will cease to help clean the environment and may become a source of air pollution and could contribute to health problems.
Carpet cleaning and maintenance programs have a direct impact on carpet appearance and performance. Proper cleaning and maintenance can keep carpets looking new and beautiful and extend their lifespan. Well maintained carpets absorb soil and gas and contribute to a healthier indoor environment. Conversely, poor cleaning and maintenance can cause carpets to look old and dirty long before they wear out and may pollute the surrounding atmosphere. Additionally, modern carpets which have been pre-treated with soil and stain retardants require special treatment to properly clean them while maintaining their soil and stain resistance.
Carpet cleaning and maintenance conventionally involves the application of a detergent solution to the carpet followed by extraction. Detergents, however, only attack water-soluble dirt. Therefore, when water-insoluble materials, such as grease, are present in the carpet, organic solvents must also be applied and extracted.
Although detergents and organic solvents have conventionally been employed as carpet cleaning agents, as currently applied they can actually be detrimental to carpet appearance. Conventional organic solvents and detergents used in carpet cleaning are highly alkaline and contain optical brighteners and soil retardants. Their pH is generally at least about 10-12. The repeated use of these cleaning agents can lead to detrimental alkaline, soil retardant and optical brightener build-up which promote rapid resoiling and degradation of nylon fiber and additionally can cause carpet color to fade due to enhanced UV sensitivity.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method of carpet cleaning and maintenance that involves the application of a detergent and an organic solvent to control the levels of both water-soluble and water-insoluble materials, including soiling and stains from use as well as residue from cleaning.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a method of carpet cleaning and maintenance which extends useful carpet life. It is additionally an object of this invention to provide a method of carpet cleaning and maintenance which does not cause alkaline or optical brightener build-up.
Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of carpet cleaning and maintenance which assures continued colorfastness.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a method for rejuvenating the soil retardant and stain resistance characteristics of carpets which were pre-treated to have such attributes.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and claims.